Two snippets from the Sun-Times today:
Congrats to veteran Chicago TV producer Monica Teague, who is leaving WBBM-Channel 2 and will sign on in January as press secretary for former North Side Ald. Edwin Eisendrath’s uphill battle to unseat Gov. Blagojevich’s re-election bid in the March Democratic primary.
And…
Let’s hope Dem gubernatorial hopeful Edwin Eisendrath’s good-luck Winston Churchill charm does its job.
*Translation: Sneed sources claim minions for Dem state party chief Michael Madigan were scouring Eisendrath’s nominating petitions filed with the state election board to see if they can find a legal reason to end his bid for the state’s top job.
- WAY DOWNSTATE - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 7:12 am:
Who in Madigan’s state office on state time checked the petitions?Only other question does Eise wish people a Merry Christmas?Does this governor know or realize that this is the heartland and we cherish our family and traditions,Christmas is one of them.One more reason he has to go.Who was he kissing up to this time?MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!
- Paul Powell - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 7:41 am:
What exactly is a Madigan Minion, is that like a Charlie’s Angel? Is there a toll free number to sign up for minion status? How much does it pay? Do you have to live in the county where the minion job is posted? Do you have veteran’s preference or do they side step that issue especially for minions?
- insider - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 9:11 am:
Ah, democracy in action. What a class act Mike Madigan is.
- Randall Sherman - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 9:33 am:
Note to the Insider: The actions of Mike Madigan hardly surprise me. Several years ago, I asked a member of the Illinois House (whose ties to the Cook County Regular Democrats are without question) to describe the legislative legacy of Michael Madigan. This Representative simply laughed, for there is no such legacy for most of Madigan’s tenure in office, other than getting 60 or more House members to say “Madigan” on the roll call held every two years to elect the Speaker of the House.
- Geek - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 10:00 am:
I feel the need to defend Mike Madigan after the last comment. Looking over petitions is a common practice that may result in eliminating a opponent. In the case of Eisendrath, the Speaker is trying to save the Governor an expensive primary. The Speaker also serves as the head of the State Democratic Party. Using ‘minions’ to look over petitions is a responsibility of the state party chair. I find it hard to believe the story of the representative who said Speaker Madigan has no legislative legacy. The speaker is committed to spreading the wealth around the entire state as far as committee chairs, district money, etc. If not Mike Madigan, who would be the Speaker in the Democratic house. There is no clear cut choice. The best candidate for Speaker is the current Speaker. None of the House Democrats even hesitate when re electing Mike Madigan speaker.
- Tony Danza - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 10:09 am:
What’s so bad about checking Eisendrath’s petitions to make sure that he obeyed the state election law and actually has enough VALID signatures to get on the ballot?
- Publius - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 10:10 am:
Well said, Geek
What these first few posters fail to realize is that leaders like Mike Madigan have a long list of friends to call on — Minions — who got their start learning the profession of Illinois politics on his staff in some form. I count myself among them, and we are proud of having had the experience.
After you leave his staff, when you get a call asking to volunteer you do it because you want to and because you want to and because you are loyal, and because you believe in the cause.
As to Randall Sherman’s point about Madigan’s legacy only being the ability to get 60 votes, I ask you…what’s your point?
Name another legislative leader at any level whose legacy isn’t defined on their ability to marshall votes when needed to pass legislation? That’s what they do…and Madigan’s legacy is that he is, indisputably, one of the very best there has ever been at commanding a legislatrive chamber.
- Wumpus - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 10:18 am:
If Madigan or any other party leader DIDN”T check ballots, they need to lose their seat.
- Pat Collins - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 11:30 am:
As I said elsewhere, when I ran for office I ALWAYS checked my opponent’s petitions. A cheap win is still a win.
And, let’s face it, if you can do petitions right, can you really run a major office?
Having said that, getting good signatures (in Nov/Dec) is rough work, and I feel for those that do it.
- Pat Collins - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 11:31 am:
UGH. If you CAN’T do petitions right, can you really run a major office?
- Miracle - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 11:36 am:
Let’s hope the new press secreatry can weave some magic. Or else, Eisendrath will be like a “tree falling in the forest”. He won’t make much noise because we won’t have any money to spend.
- Political Hack - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 11:53 am:
Mike Madigan is the supreme political hack and for that us hack’s kiss his ass daily. WWe love you Mike. The only problem is Blago is a complete hack but corrupt. Us hacks hate corruption so we want to see rich boy take him on. Hack that Randy Sherman.
- Anon - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 1:16 pm:
Another phony Sneed scoop. That Madigan staffer thing was several places Tuesday.
- Lt. Guv - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 1:37 pm:
Minions is OK. We prefer to be called “Madigoons.”
- 47th Ward - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 5:11 pm:
Anon 3:17:
Get your facts straight before you attempt to slander/libel people here. Posts like yours make me sick.
- Jeff Trigg - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 6:35 pm:
I browsed through Rod and the slate’s petitions. They weren’t flawless by any stretch, but probably good enough.
“They should have had Liz checking over the Democrat slate petitions though. I would have never turned in a petition page like #412 with lines 6 and 7 signatures pretty identical for two different people. Page #215 didn’t even have a notary seal. And don’t get me started on pages #332 and #334. I’d be embarassed to file those pages. Makes you wonder if they are running the state of Illinois with the same lack of attention as they paid to those petitions.”
- GetALife - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 6:58 pm:
Jeff Trigg- if you knew anything about checking petitions- you would know that the little items that you pointed out can be found in all petitions..Also, don’t you have something better to do with your time?
- Paul Powell - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 7:48 pm:
I can see the Madigan minions or Madigoons were busy defending the big guy, too funny. Why does the democratic party feel it is necessary to scope out a fellow democrat who decides he wants to run for office? If he were some stranger like a LaRouche candidate that nobody knew I could see the party looking things over but to put out all the stops to check a fellow democrat for several decades and pretty heavy contributor is bazarre to say the least. I wonder how much of Ed-Win’s or his family money has been donated to Madigan and the state party over the years? Is Madigan going to return that. I should think Madigan would owe a fellow democrat more courtesy than that. Nothing in this state is going to be right until we as democrats clean house from top to bottom. It will eventually happen. Every election cycle we go through and see our leadership pull stunts like this just pisses a few more people off and eventually you get 1 over 50% and then the party is over. That day is coming so some of us just bide our time and wait because this group will shoot themselves in the foot. It is entertaining for now though to watch the party big wigs run all over the state and say Ed-Win has no chance out of one side of their mouth and then say we better check his petitions out of the other side. If he has no chance why not just let him run and embarass the day lights out of him on election day? Hey, wait a minute, maybe they are worried about him. Which is it guys?
- Jeff Trigg - Wednesday, Dec 21, 05 @ 9:21 pm:
I’ve been through three petition challenges and ran a 25,000 sig petition drive, so I’m no slouch. A wife signing for the husband or something similar isn’t uncommon, but when I found those I at least struck them before filing it. Never saw a page without a Notary Seal. And I would never, ever turn in pages that looked like 332 and 334. Are you the one that circulated those pages or something? Maybe the Libertarians and Nader were just a lot better than is usual, that’s possible.
Don’t the ILDEMS have something better to do with their time than find nit-picky stuff like I mentioned to try to stall Eisendrath’s campaign or kick him off the ballot? I only spent about 15 or 20 minutes perusing their petition. If they challenge his petitions they’ll be spending hundreds of hours and require election office staffers to spend many hours and some taxpayer cash. Don’t you have better things to be worried about than 20 minutes of my time?
- SC Chicago - Thursday, Dec 22, 05 @ 8:36 am:
I hope Edwin’s petitions pass muster. I have known Edwin Eisendrath for many years, and he is very intelligent and committed. He would be an excellent governor.